Posted on 12/01/2001 8:12:17 PM PST by OKCSubmariner
The US Attorney General, John Ashcroft, was yesterday reported to be ready to relax restrictions on the FBI's powers to spy on religious and church-based political organisations.
His proposal, leaked to the New York Times, would loosen limits on the FBI's surveillance powers, imposed in the 1970s after the death of its founder J. Edgar Hoover.
The plan has caused outrage within the FBI itself with agents expected to act upon new surveillance powers describing themselves as 'very, very angry'.
The spying, wiretapping and surveillance campaign unleashed by Hoover against church and political groups was called 'Cointelpro', and was aimed mainly at the movement behind civil rights activist Martin Luther King, the Black Panthers, the anti-Vietnam war movement and, on the other wing, the Ku Klux Klan.
When the system was revealed, upon Hoover's death, restrictions were put on the security bureau, in the form of two sets of regulations pertaining to foreign-based and domestic groups. The rules forbade FBI agents from sending undercover agents into churches, synagogues or mosques unless they found 'probable cause or evidence' that someone in them had broken the law.
A Justice Department spokeswoman, Susan Dryden, said no final decision had been made on their reintroduction.
According to sources, the plan has caused a sharp rift within the department and the FBI. Ashcroft and the new FBI director, Robert Mueller, are pushing the plan eagerly, but there is strong opposition among officials inside both the bureau and the Justice Department.
Internal opposition to the plan will exacerbate an already fractious atmosphere in the FBI since President Bush took office.
Some agents told the New York Times that they considered any weakening of the guidelines 'a serious mistake', and that the Justice Department had 'not clearly described' the proposed changes. 'People are furious right now,' said one agent.
The changes would become part of what civil liberties groups regard as a dangerously changing legal landscape in the US: 1,200 people with connections to Islamic groups have been taken into custody, and Draconian security measures, such as wiretapping of lawyers, pushed through Congress.
Further plans are now afoot to seek out and interview some 5,000 immigrants, mostly Muslims, who have entered the US since January.
What I posted were facts about the OKC bombing that I know about very directly. Where have you been the past year, putting your head in the sand or are you also another apologist for corruption in the Federal government?
If you do not like what I post, then go read something else and stay off my article post threads. Do not waste everyone else's time with your stupid dribble on these threads.
"Heck..as if we don't know. Bush is a NWO sell out. Bush and his family supported Lenin,Hitler, Pol Pot and Ted Kennedy (Barney Frank too but they don't like to talk about that).
The Bush family made Rush Limbaugh what he is today and the family rakes off 42.3% of the GROSS
Bush, Rush, Roger Ailes , Richard Melon Scaife, the Illumanti (who prefer that their names not be mentioned) and the Rockerfeller family met at their secret Manhatten lair on August 13th at 2:21 EDT and decided how they would divide up the world. Cheng Kai Kit, Ng Lap Seng waited the tables. Roger Tamaz was on drums. The centerpiece was, of course, the skull of John Lennon. Rush had his trusty aides dig up the skull earlier in the evening."
Eaker
Naw, just one who don't like people who get great pleasure out of roasting people alive. You do know who I'm talking about don't you BATF _Jim? YOU.
WarHawk42
It's like they are making a big deal about the security folks at the airports. Dirty little secret: they did their job on September 11th.
This isn't about mosque wiretaps. It's about the failure of the feds to enforce existing immigrant rules.
We don't need any new stinking restrictions; enforce what's on the books.
_Jim,MindBinder,MJY1288,ClintonEather,etc.
Good night
You would think they would have better things to do, like catching the terrorists in this country. Oh oh, we are the terrorists according to the FBI. We believe in the Constitution.
WarHawk42
The same people squealing for civil liberties for terrorists now were out to lunch when the Clintons were using the FBI files and IRS audits to squelch their enemies.
I also will not pretend to know or understand all of the reasons things are being done as they are, for instance the OkC bombing. I do believe there were John Does involved, absolutely. But I don't know why Ashcroft would cover that up, IF he is. Neither does anyone else.
And the states, and the cities, and the towns, and the schools and don't forget the Libs need their nannies...
The cry at a High School in Novato: "We don't need no stinkin' papers!"
And if a high school student thinks they need to be citizens to take advantage of our schools and hospitals and tax money and voting booths then the school authorties just stand back and let the illegals and their cohorts run amuck and gang up on the one that wants to uphold the laws of this Nation and attack him 5 to one...
Yes, Fred just like gun laws...if the current ones were inforced, no new ones are needed. Ditto immigration laws.
Do they mean Mosques?
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